Today, our subject is women’s health. This is going to be filled with all kinds of information for you, so buckle up! We’re going deep.
First, let’s talk a bit about what makes a woman unhealthy. Obviously a bad diet and lack of exercise are key factors in this, so I won’t go into too much detail as most of the rest of my blog is on diet and exercise. I’ll just leave it at cleaning up your diet and working out will vastly improve your health and balance your hormones.
Now, stress is huge nowadays. Everything is so stressful. And being a woman, is stressful. Guys, quit laughing, it is. You have to deal with periods, hormone fluctuations, emotions going rampant, kids to take care of if you’re a mom, a husband to look after who needs love and care too, and all the stressors of working a job and cleaning a house. And the whole time you have your body begging you to relieve itself from the stress by giving you something that will raise your serotonin levels quickly. Preferably something processed and high in sugars that will only make your hormone levels and weight problems worse, not better. So, we’ll talk about stress.
There is good stress, and there’s bad stress. Because of this, stress is both a powerful aide for women, and their worst enemy. Good stress, like exercise, fasting, and hot and cold therapy, are beneficial to them. Bad stresses, on the other hand, like junk food, a sedentary lifestyle, parenting troubles, difficulties with your spouse or at work, will harm your body.
Good stress reduces your cortisol levels, burns fat, boosts energy, promotes cognitive function, and improves sleep and mood. Bad stress causes weight gain, lowers energy, often results in brain fog, disrupts sleep and mood and promotes diseases you don’t want.
Your stress hormones, the catecholomines, can aid in women’s health, if your hormones are balanced right. Once your hormones are balanced, you can lose weight and heal your body.
What hormones are we talking about? Obviously estrogen, but were you especting progesterone and testosterone as well? Well, we’re going to talk about those too.
Estrogen, is the primary female sex hormone. It balances body temperatures, helps women maintain a youthful appearance, maintains memory and cognition, regulates your cycles, helsp with breast development and fat distribution of the hips and legs. Also, it helps with fertility.
Progesterone, is the calming and soothing hormone. It’s great for sleep and anxiety, and balances the effects of estrogen. For exmple, if your body is producing too much estrogen, progesterone comes in and says not to do too much. Progesterone balances and regulates the estrogen. Because while estrogen is important if you’re a woman, too much, can also be a problem. It’s extremely important to your body, and progesterone doesn’t get enough recognition.
Testosterone, is also secreted by the ovaries. It helps with mood, motivation, drive, libido, energy, and muscle mass. And not so much muscle mass that you’re going to look like the Incredible Hulk ladies. Women don’t produce that much testosterone. Unless you take some serious steroids, there is no way that you’re going to end up looking that bulky. So as you can see, testosterone is a good thing. In a reasonable, natural amount.
So, how do you balance these hormones? Well, you want to work with your menstruation cycle by using resistance training according to your cycle. This will help improve fat burning and hormone balancing.
Balance your circadian rhythm, and your that much closer to balancing your hormones. To balance your circadian rhythm, sleep in a dark room, no light at all, and have the temperature at about sixty-eight degrees Fahrenheit. Wholetones is also good for sleep. Michael Tyrel created that music album to play in the background while you sleep, and thus, it improves your sleep quality. I use it myself, and now, I never spend a night without it. You can find the website to buy it here: http://www.michaeltyrrell.com
Sex is also extremely beneficial for both men’s and women’s health. Orgasms set everything in your body right, improve cognitive function, and help your body to funtion better. It also helps with your hormones, and (obviously) your mood.
Play a game with family and friends. Tell a joke. Do something just to make you all laugh. Laughter releases endorphins, improves your hormones, and just puts you in a better mood. Laughter also reduces stress. Who’d have thought right?
Speaking of stress, that’s the next item on our list. De-stressing, will balance your hormones and improve your health. If you can relax your body and allow yourself to recover from stressful situations, (and if possible, avoid stressful situations) you’ll see many benefits. Try deep breathing, yoga, epsom salt baths, and any other relaxing thing you can do. Go for a slow nature walk, read a fun book, sip some tea (non caffeinated) and just find something that you enjoy.
So, we’re going to talk just a little bit about nutrition. It’s important too! Eat plenty of greens, a whole variety of them for all the benefits, have healthy fats like avocado, nuts and seeds, olive oil, and coconut oil. Have protein with your breakfast. That will stick with you and help balance your hormones. Eat organic whenever possible, this is so important. Especially avoid GMOs, or any non organic meats or dairy. Those are filled with so many artificial hormones that will throw yours out of whack and make you gain weight rather than lose it. Drink more water. This will help flush out your system of all the toxins and bad products in your body. And, hydration is just important anyway.
And here are some supplements that you can take to help. Magnesium, B Vitamins (which helps with adrenals and stress), Vitamin D, and zinc. These will help with overall health, and you’ll feel so much better if you take these regularly. Talk to your doctor or physician to see what would be the best amounts for you. The right amount is beneficial, too much or too little can be harmful.
The best herbs for women’s health would be Red Rasberry, Nettle, Alfalfa, and Ginger. You can make a tea out of these, or just eat them. They are so beneficial, and I have found they help me especially with menstrual cramps. I get really bad cramps when I don’t take these, but when I do, I’m still in pain, but I can manage. If I don’t take these, I can hardly walk.
Then there are these essential oils.
Rose: helps with infertility and frigidity, and promotes healthy menstruation.
Geranium: supports hormones, emotional balance and fertility.
Neroli and Ylang Ylang: promotes healthy linido; and relaxes you.
Clary Sage: enhances your endocrine system’s function and balances hormones.
Grapefruit: supports healthy progesterone levels and breast health.
Jasmine: promotes a healthy uterus, and linido.
Ginger: promotes healthy menst4ruation and linido, and relives cramps.
Fennel: supports healthy estrogen levels and supports healthy ovaries.
Thyme and Oregano: supports healthy progesterone levels.